Separable fastener



June 12, 1962 s. AUSNlT 3,033,225

SEFARABLE FASTENER Filed May 27, 1960 v he E2252: far

United States Patent 3,038,225 SEPARABLE FASTENER Steven Ausnit, New York, NY. Filed May 27, 1960, Ser. No. 32,276

4 Claims. (Cl. 24--201) This invention relates to fasteners for joining and separating two edges of a pouch so that the pouch may be opened and closed.

It has previously been proposed to provide fasteners of the present type by means of a pair of continuous strips of elastic or flexible material adapted to be made in a continuous operation. Fasteners of this kind comprise one part which is provided with one or more hooklike projections along the edge adjacent the other part and a second part which is provided with one or more hook-shaped grooves corresponding to the projection in the first mentioned part.

In the past many attempts have been made in an effort to obtain a reliable and efficient fastener of this kind and one of the main problems has been the tendency of the parts to become disengaged when subjected to a pull or force tending to separate the two parts or edges of the pouch to which the fastener is attached.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved fastener having two continuous interengageable strips, whereby a firm grip is obtained so that the two strips are held tightly together.

The present invention comprises in combination two flat strips of resilient material having overlapping webs, and a hook-like groove and projection means is arranged between the webs.

The aforesaid means includes a split head on one of the webs and a Wedge-shaped grooved area on another of the strips with the grooves being separated by a wedgeshaped projection so that as the slit head is engaged with the wedge-shaped grooved area, the wedge-shaped projection will spread the hooks or the projections on the split head and thereby guide the hooks into the grooved area.

In one form of the invention, the split hea d and the split head grooved area are disposed in a plane extending generally transversely of the strips while in another form of the invention, the split head and the split head grooved area are disposed in a longitudinal plane extending generally longitudinally of the strips.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself as to its construction together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of several embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary top view of a fastener structure showing the fastener in a closed position;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line II-II looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, as shown in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary top view of a modified type of fastener structure; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line IVIV looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, as shown in FIGURE 3.

The fastener of my invention is indicated generally by the reference numeral and comprises two flexible strips 11 and 11' formed of a resilient material, such as a thermoplastic material, which may be molded or extruded into the desired finished shape. The strips may be made of thermoplastic synthetic resin materials such as polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, halogenated polyethylenes, polyvinyl acetate, and polyethylene, and copolymers, heteropolymers and mixtures thereof. Such 3,ii33,ZZ5 Patented June 12, 1962 "ice materials are substantially impervious to air and moisture, and may be prepared in suitable thin resilient sheets which can be translucent, and substantially transparent, if desired.

Each strip 11 and 1.1 has a thickened marginal web portion 12 and 12', respectively. The web 12 has a centrally located split head 13 which includes a pair of hooks or hook-like projections 14'. The hooks 14 have hook ends or projection ends 15 which extend in opposite directions with respect to one another and which extend generally along the plane of the strips 11, 11. The split head 13 is possessed of a wedge-shaped grooved area 16' which is disposed between the hooks 14. The web 12 is provided with a pair of hook-like grooves 17 which are disposed on opposite sides of the split head 13' and which open away from the strip in generally the same direction as the wedge-shaped grooved area 16'.

The web 12 has a split head grooved area 13* for receiving the split head 13' in snug engagement therein. The grooved area 13 is partially defined by a pair of hooks or hook-like projections 14 having ends 15 which extend generally towards one another. A wedge 16 is disposed between the hooks 14 with the wedge 16 being spaced from the hooks 14 by means of hook-like grooves 17, the grooves being disposed on opposite sides of the Wedge 16 and being adapted to receive the hooks 14' on the opposite or confronting web 12'.

The webs 12 and 12 are provided with a web or strip heel end grooved area 18 and a web or strip elongated web heel end 18', respectively. Where the hooks and grooves are engaged with one another, the heel end 18 is engaged in the heel end grooved area 18 to back-up the engagement of the aforesaid hooks and grooves to resist accidental disassembly.

The web 12 may be assembled with the web 12' by aligning the split head 13' with the split head grooved area 13 and by progressively moving the webs towards one another. As the webs 12 and 12' are moved towards one another the hooks 14 and 14 become inter-engaged in the grooves 17 and 17' and hook end shoulders 19 are interengaged to resist disassembly.

As the wedge on the web 12 is engaged in the Wedgeshaped grooved area 16' on the web 12', the hooks 15' are urged apart and into bottomed engagement within the hook-shaped grooves 17. When the hooks and grooves are interengaged, the split head grooved area 13- and the split head 13 are also in assembled relation.

The split head 13 and the split head grooved area 13 when engaged together, or in other words when connected, are disposed generally in a plane which may be referred to as a connector plane. This plane in this embodiment extends parallel to the plane of the strips. T 0 separate or to join the split head and the grooved area they are moved normal to said connector plane.

Shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 is a modified fastener which is indicated generally at 110. The fastener is comprised of two flexible strips 111 and 111' formed of the same material as previously described. Each strip 111 and 111 has a thickened marginal web portion 112 and 112, respectively.

The web 112' is similar to the web 12', previously described, since it has a centrally located split head 113' which includes a pair of hooks or hook-like projections 11-4. The hook-like projections 114 extend transversely of the strips and possess hook ends or projection ends 115, 115'. The split head 113' is also possessed of a 3 receiving the split head 113' in snug engagement therein. The grooved area 113 is partially defined by a pair of hooks or hook-like projections 114 having ends 115 which extend towards one another and are disposed in abutting relation on opposite sides of the strip 111' when the strips are in assembly together. The web 112 is also provided with a wedge 116 and the wedge is adapted to be disposed within the wedge-shaped grooved area 1 16'.

The webs 112 and 112' may be assembled together by aligning the strips in end to end relation and by pulling the hooks 114 apart so that the split head 113 may be moved into the split head grooved area 113 at which time the hooks 114 are released so that they may engage against the sides of the strip 110'. It will be noted that as the strips 111 and 111' are engaged together, the strip 111' is moved towards a juncture 118 which is disposed between the strip 111 and the web 112. Once the web portions 112 and 112 are engaged together, hook end shoulders 119 on the hooks 114 are interengaged to resist disassembly.

The split head 113 and the split head grooved area 1 13, when engaged together, or in other words when connected, are disposed generally in a plane which may be referred to as the connector plane. This plane in this embodiment extends transverse to the plane of the strips. To separate or to join the split head and the grooved area, they are moved normal to the connector plane.

It will be understood that modifications and varia tions may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A fastener structure including a pair of flexible strips having means for sustaining the strips in retained assembly together, and means including a split head on one of said strips with the split head comprised of a pair of hooks with ends of the hooks extending in opposite directions with respect to one another, the hooks on the split head being joined-at the base thereof but being separated from one another at outer ends thereof by a wedge-shaped grooved area, another of said strips having a split head grooved area including a pair of hookshaped grooves separated by a wedge-shaped projection, the hooks on the split head being spreadable by the wedge-shaped projection to guide the hooks on said strip into the hook-shaped grooves on said another strip and with said wedge-shaped projection engaged in said wedgeshaped grooved area between said hooks when said strips are engaged together, said one of said strips having a heel end extending away from the strip on the same side and in the same general direction as said split head, said another of said strips having a heel end grooved area for receiving the heel end and to back up the engagement of the split head in the split head grooved area.

2,. A fastener structure including a pair of parallel flexible strips extending longitudinally toward each other, first and second thickened marginal portions on said strips, a centrally located split head including a pair of first hook-like projections on the first marginal portion extending laterally of said strips with hook ends extending away from each other, a V-shaped grooved area between said projections facing laterally of the strips, a pair of hook-like grooves on the second strip having a size and conformation the same as said projections to lockingly receive the projections, a tapered wedge between said grooves for being received by said grooved area, second hook-like projections formed in part by said hook-like grooves and extending laterally on the second marginal portion having hook ends extending toward each other, and grooves formed in part by said first hooklike projections and being on said first marginal portion receiving said second hook-like projections and having the same size and conformation as said second projections.

3. A fastener structure including a pair of parallel flexible strips extending longitudinally toward each other, first and second thickened marginal portions on said strips, a centrally located split head including a pair of first hook-like projections on the first marginal portion extending laterally of said strips with hook ends extending away from each other, a V-shaped grooved area between said projections facing laterally of the strips, a pair of hooklike grooves on the second strip having a size and conformation the same as said projections to lockingly receive the projections, a tapered wedge between said grooves for being received by said grooved area, second hook-like projections formed in part by said hook-like grooves and extending laterally on the second marginal portion having hook ends extending toward each other, second grooves formed in part by said first hook-like projections and being on said first marginal portions receiving said second hook-like projections having the same size and conformation as said second projections, and longitudinally inwardly facing strip end shoulders on the first marginal portion forming part of said second grooves and engaging the longitudinally outer surfaces of the second hooks preventing them from bending outwardly.

4. A fastener structure including a pair of parallel flexible strips extending longitudinally toward each other, first and second thickened marginal portions on said strips, a centrally located split head including a pair of first hooklike projections on the first marginal portion extending laterally of said strips with hook ends extending away from each other, a V-shaped grooved area between said projections facing laterally of the strips, a pair of hooklike grooves on the second strip having a size and conformation the same as said projections to lockingly receive the projections, a tapered wedge between said grooves for being received by said grooved area, second hooklike projections formed in part by said hook-like grooves and extending laterally on the second marginal portion having hook ends extending toward each other, second grooves formed in part by said first hook-like projections and being on said first marginal portions receiving said second hook-like projections having the same size and conformation as said second projections, longitudinally inwardly facing strip end shoulders on the first marginal portion forming part of said second grooves and engaging the longitudinally outer surfaces of the second hooks preventing them from bending outwardly, a heel end projection on the distal end of the first marginal portion extending laterally, and a laterally facing heel end grooved area on the second marginal portion receiving said heel end projection so that said grooves and grooved areas coact with the projections preventing longitudinal displacement thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,144,755 Freedman Jan. 24, 1939 2,606,352 Wende Aug. 12, 1952 2,797,463 Dorman July 2, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 182,689 Austria July 25, 1955 1,140,723 France Aug. 12, 1957 

